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CHAPTER 27
Ryan
"What do you mean, today's your birthday?"
Ana's hands are on her hips in a display of annoyance.I blink twice and cock my head slightly to the side."I mean, exactly twenty-seven years ago, I was born," I say, not sure what she's getting at."Ryan," she says in exasperation, her voice taking on a sing-song quality with a bit of a whine. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She reaches out and pushes my left shoulder gently in a playful gesture.For the briefest moment, she reminds me so much of Saph that I tense. Saph used to do that, to whine and say "Ryyyaaaan" any time she wasn't getting what she wanted."I could have made you a birthday cake," she says, sounding regretful. "A chocolate one. With this amazing icing my mom used to make that was borderline fudge. Fudge, Ryan! Fudge!"Her words suggest annoyance, but her demeanor says otherwise. Her face is splRelated chapters
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 28
AnaSomething wakes me up early in the morning. I squint at the dim light filtering in through the curtains and look at the clock on the bedside. It's just before 4 am. Why am I awake?Casper is awake too, looking at me like I just kicked him."I don't know, pupito , it wasn't me," I tell him. He doesn't look convinced.Casper's ears prick and I look up as an odd sound breaks the early morning quiet. I frown and climb out of bed, moving quietly toward the doorway. As I open the door, I hear the sound again, something between a moan and a cry of pain. It's coming from the couch.What if Ryan's having another night terror? Dread fills my stomach. As I rush over to his side, his cries become more frequent and more distressed. I gasp when I reach him. Ryan is clawing at the right side of his face with both hands, his cries of pain bordering on scr
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 29
Ryan"It's the seventh?"I look up to see Ana staring at me with wide eyes. I'm listening to the weather radio broadcast and the monotone robotic voice just announced the current date and time."Yes?" I say, wondering why that's so hard to believe.Any semblance of light, joy, or happiness drains from Ana's face. Her expression reminds me of her demeanor when I first met her - a darkness inside her soul that threatened to drag her down into despair at any moment."What is it?" I ask.Ana hugs her arms against herself. "It's Julie's birthday." Her expression becomes tight with anger."Oh," I say, not knowing how else to respond. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."Ana doesn't say anything else. Wordlessly, she stalks over to the gun cabinet, pulls out her rifle, handgun, and ammo for both. Without looking at me, she heads outside.After a f
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 30
(November 17, one year ago)"I just landed and I'm going to pick up my bag now. I'm in Terminal 3."The bright-eyed, widely-smiling college student walked quickly down the concourse in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Her complexion suggested that she spent considerable time outdoors, but the parka she held over one arm stated otherwise. As she finished her call and shoved her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans, she flipped her hair to the other side of her head and ran a hand through the hair at her crown. Dark curls cascaded over one shoulder and across her back. She'd flown over two thousand miles that afternoon and her hair definitely showed it.When a car pulled up by the Terminal 3 exit doors, she was greeted enthusiastically by a middle-aged man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cut-off jeans, and flip flops."What, no socks to complete the outfit?" she asked jokingly.Her father grinned at he
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 31
Ana POVA strange noise sounds in the kitchen. We both turn and stare at the satellite phone sitting on the kitchen counter. It's ringing. I've never heard the ringtone before. No one's ever called it. Ryan doesn't move, so I stand and pick it up. The number isn't one I recognize, though something seems vaguely familiar about it.I turn to look at Ryan, who hasn't moved an inch."It's for you," I say, holding it out to him.He hesitates before coming over to me, taking the phone, and answering it.I can't hear distinct words in the feminine voice on the other end, but clearly it's something or someone significant. Ryan's eyes flash with a burst of anger I've never seen in him before. The knuckles of his hand gripping the phone begin to turn white."Why are you calling me?" he says in a low, tight voice. He turns away from me, his shoulders
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 32
Six men trudged through the deserted streets of an abandoned Afghani village. A hot, dry desert wind blew intermittently, occasionally catching a tassel or an untucked corner of someone's shemagh and battering it about.This was just a routine reconnaissance mission. The bombed-out, deserted village had previously been occupied by the Taliban until an intense conflict had driven civilians from their homes and eventually left the town largely uninhabitable. No activity had been sighted here for months, but this small unit of soldiers had been deployed to examine the ghost town more thoroughly."Well, would you look at that, boys," said one of the soldiers who sported a cocky grin. "A whole lotta nothin'. Looks like the Chairborne Rangers have sent us on a fool's errand yet again.""Just because intelligence hasn't reported any activity out here, that doesn't mean there's nothing to find. Stay alert, Thompson.""Look around! There's NOTHING here."The soldier
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 33
RyanI watch the firelight flicker on Ana's face as she concentrates on the marshmallow at the end of her stick. The sun set about an hour ago and the shadows accentuate her coloring. Her hair is down, dark curls fading to black as they cascade over her shoulders. Her dark eyebrows and irises stand out against the golden glow on her face. Her lips curve into a small smile as she turns her marshmallow over.I still believe that you're a hero, Ryan Burke.Her words from five days ago haven't stopped echoing inside my head. I'd told her what happened the day all my friends died. How I couldn't save them. How they'd died waiting for me to bring them more ammunition. How their deaths were my fault. But despite all that, she still believed in me. Believes in me.I never could have imagined how much those words would affect me. After so many years blaming myself, I've found someone who knows the whole story and
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 34
Ana"Poor little girl."The man with the gun sneers at me. I try to run, but my legs won't move."You were too scared to save your family when they were still alive. Now they're dead and you're still too afraid. You can't even get justice for them. Poor, scared, little girl."He raises the gun and points it at my head."At first I was worried when I heard there was a witness. But now I see that I'll get no trouble from you. You're just a sad, scared little mouse. Pathetic."The gun fires.I wake up in a cold sweat. I cry quietly, not wanting to disturb Ryan again. Casper rolls over in his sleep.The man in the dream was right. It's my fault he's not in prison. All I want is to hide out in this cabin forever, but if I do that, the people responsible for my family's deaths will never pay. They could do this again. Kill some other girl's family. Make another me. The thought makes me physically sick. I k
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 35
Ryan"Damn it."I watch the screw fall and disappear somewhere on the ground. At this rate, I'll have to call Joe again and order more. I frown at that thought. I'd rather crawl around in the dirt searching for a screw than talk to that jerk.I descend the ladder carefully and sigh as I crouch, scanning the ground for the little piece of metal. I'm just one screw short of maybe being able to convince Ana to come outside again at dusk. After that incident with the bear three weeks ago, she strictly refuses to come outside after the sun has gone down. Which, by now, is just after 8 pm. The days will only continue to get shorter.A dim metallic wink catches my eye and I spot the screw. Finally. I shove it in my back pocket and risk life and limb once again to ascend the ladder. These floodlights better work. I hold the light, the bracket, and the screw in place with my right hand and fit the drill bit into the screw head w
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